Trofeo Matteotti (1.1), Italy

Winners, podium, distance, average speed

The Trofeo Matteotti is a single-day race held in Pescara, Italy. Pescara is a city on the coast of the Abruzzo region, east of Rome.

The race began in 1945, through the efforts of Fulvio Perna. After the rubble of the war the group Perna led wanted to send a message of peace and freedom. The race was reserved for amateurs in 1947, 1948 and 1949.

The race takes riders through Pescara and then into the surrounding Apennine hills.

Three times in its history the race has also doubled as the Italian road championship: 1965, 1975 and 1995. It has had trouble some years finding enough money to be run, forcing it to be cancelled in 2009 and 2014.

The 67th edition (2013) was the source of no small amount of controversy. The race promotion poster had a picture of the Fascist poet Gabriele d'Annunzio. Given that the race's namesake, Giacomo Matteotti, was kidnapped and killed by Mussolini's political police, the distress the poster caused was understandable.

As of 2015, Francesco Moser has won the race most often, with three victories.